As expected, around nine o’clock the next morning, Yu Fei arrived at the hospital, just as he had mentioned.
When he arrived, Chu Yan was on the phone, presumably discussing work-related matters. Yu Fei didn’t disturb him, quietly waiting at the entrance for a while. It seemed that Chu Yan hadn’t noticed his presence either.
Seeing this side of Zhong Yu, Yu Fei recalled the first time he had seen him at a movie premiere. He had never believed in love at first sight before, even though Zhong Yu was good-looking. Despite being surrounded by attractive men and women throughout his life, only Zhong Yu had left such a deep impression on him.
Being the eldest son of the Yu family in B city, he naturally had numerous opportunities to get close to Zhong Yu. Even though he was aware of the relationship between Zhong Yu and Xu Linshen, he didn’t want to give it up so easily. After all, he felt that, as the sole heir of the Xu family, Xu Linshen’s involvement with Zhong Yu was likely just for fun.
And the current situation only further confirmed this. Xu Linshen’s new lover was from the same company as Zhong Yu, young and handsome, and two years younger than Zhong Yu. In just a month or so, he wondered whether this new person had come into Xu Linshen’s life after he broke up with Zhong Yu or if it had already started before.
After finishing the call, Chu Yan happened to see Yu Fei walking in through the door.
Chu Yan looked up at him, then lowered his gaze to the phone in his hand. “Is Mr. Yu so free? Didn’t I say yesterday not to come anymore?”
Yu Fei paused for a moment and opened the thermos in his hand. “I brought some bone broth for you today. Like cures like1以形补形” (yǐ xíng bǔ xíng) is a Chinese idiom that translates to “treating like with like.” In this context, it means using a similar substance to treat a particular ailment or condition.. Drinking more of this will help your wound heal faster.”
Chu Yan just chuckled at his words, not responding to them.
A cold silence lingered for almost ten minutes. Seeing that Chu Yan continued to ignore him, Yu Fei couldn’t hold back anymore. “Zhong Yu.”
Still no response.
Yu Fei gritted his teeth. “Zhong Yu, must you be like this?”
Chu Yan dismissed his phone and glanced at him. “How am I?”
Yu Fei brought a chair over and sat down, looking at him with a somewhat disgruntled tone. “Do you really think your attitude is acceptable? I don’t believe you can’t see my feelings for you. Yet, you still behave this way… Rejecting all my care and assistance, not giving me any chance.”
Chu Yan listened to his words, and a hint of disdainful smile appeared on his face. He sat up slightly straighter and said, “So, what you mean, Young Master Yu, is that since you’ve developed feelings for me, I must reciprocate those feelings?”
Yu Fei was taken aback by his words, and it took him a moment to react. He spoke in a deep voice, “Zhong Yu, I didn’t mean that…”
Chu Yan interrupted him with frustration, “If that’s the case, then please, Young Master Yu, don’t bother me anymore.”
Yu Fei looked at Zhong Yu in disbelief, only to find that his expression remained blank, his demeanor detached. It was clear that his words were sincere, without a hint of forced sentiment.
The attitude was as if there were no cracks in the solid ice, and a hint of hurt flickered in Yu Fei’s eyes. He looked at Zhong Yu’s frosty profile for a moment before speaking, “And what about Xu Linshen? Why can you accept his help but not mine? Is there some difference?”
Thinking of Xu Linshen, Yu Fei couldn’t help but sneer again, “Are you more inclined towards that kind of approach he uses, which is why you don’t want my pursuit to be on an equal footing?”
Hearing his words, Zhong Yu suddenly raised his gaze, his expression and eyes turning icy, “Kindly shut your mouth and just get out of here, will you?”
Yu Fei stood up, lowering his gaze to meet Zhong Yu’s eyes, “You just need to tell me, is it like this? If it is… I think I, Yu Fei, can offer you the same as Xu Linshen can. The difference between me and him is that I should be a bit more faithful… not loving one person after another like he does. So, you can be reassured about that.”
However, Yu Fei didn’t know which part of his words had provoked Zhong Yu’s anger. All of a sudden, he saw Zhong Yu sit up abruptly from the bed and grab his collar. Zhong Yu’s voice was cold and fierce, “Yu, if that’s your damn point, just admit that you think I’m nothing more than a whore, right? Since you don’t like me, why bother putting on such an affectionate facade?”
Yu Fei was startled by his sudden movement, and in a reflex of self-defense, he pushed back, but he hadn’t exerted much force when Zhong Yu collapsed on his own.
At the same time, the door was pushed open with a “bang.” When Yu Fei saw the person who entered, he froze for a moment before realizing something and turned his gaze towards Zhong Yu, who was lying on the bed.
Zhong Yu was lying on the bed, covered in sweat, his lips and face a pale hue of white. His hands were gripping the bedsheets as he trembled uncontrollably.
Yu Fei panicked instantly. He hadn’t expected that his words would provoke such a strong reaction from Zhong Yu. He hurriedly explained, “Zhong Yu, don’t be angry. What I said earlier was just…”
Closing his eyes, Chu Yan gritted his teeth, forcing out a single word through clenched teeth, “Leave!”
Looking at the figure of Zhong Yu lying on the bed, Xu Linshen noticed that he had closed his eyes. Accompanied by the erratic rise and fall of his chest was a faint, trembling, and suppressed moan, as his entire body shook uncontrollably.
Xu Linshen’s expression changed abruptly. He immediately pressed the emergency button next to the bed and then turned his gaze towards Yu Fei, who was standing nearby. His eyes turned ice-cold, and his voice became as sharp as ice shards, “Is this how Young Master Yu visits patients?”
“I…” Yu Fei began to explain.
“Still not leaving? Do you want the bodyguards to escort you out?” Xu Linshen interrupted sharply.
His tone was extremely calm, but the gaze he directed at Yu Fei was icy to an extreme degree. The frigid undertone in his eyes sent a shiver down Yu Fei’s spine.
Yu Fei hadn’t expected Zhong Yu to be so infuriated by his words, nor had he anticipated Xu Linshen’s appearance. His mind went blank for a moment, and he found himself unable to say anything.
After a few sharp beeps from the emergency button, doctors and nurses rushed over and gathered around the bed. After conducting a preliminary examination of Zhong Yu, they promptly sent him to the emergency room.
Outside the emergency room, Xu Linshen’s palm was pressed against his knee. He kept replaying the conversation between Yu Fei and Zhong Yu in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more he furrowed his brows, and his doubts grew.
Judging from Zhong Yu’s reaction just now, their relationship didn’t seem as Xu Linshen had portrayed it when they broke up. Between him and Yu Fei, there appeared to be nothing at all.
Since Xu Linshen himself detested being in a kept relationship and didn’t want others to see him in that light, why did Zhong Yu never deny it in front of him?
Moreover, he seemed to deliberately provoke Xu Linshen with such remarks over and over again… If he felt uncomfortable and disliked it himself, why did he still say such things?
—
The second surgery took even longer than the first one. After the surgery, the doctor’s tone was rather unpleasant. While listening to the doctor’s instructions, Chu Yan didn’t show any significant reactions. Patients like him were the most frustrating for doctors; when the patients themselves didn’t take their own health seriously, the effectiveness of treatment became questionable.
When Xu Linshen entered, Chu Yan was still awake. The recent surgery was performed under local anesthesia, so he remained conscious. The numbness from the anesthesia on his leg hadn’t subsided yet, so he didn’t feel much pain.
However, as soon as he saw Xu Linshen enter, he closed his eyes. It was quite clear that he was refusing to engage in conversation.
Xu Linshen observed him from the side. The expression on Chu Yan’s face was unusually calm. Apart from his overly pale complexion, there was no trace of the anger he had shown earlier.
“Zhong Yu…”
Chu Yan opened his eyes at the sound of Xu Linshen’s voice, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing on his face. “Is Mr. Xu so free that he came all this way? But you might be disappointed; I’m currently doing quite well.”
“Do you really think that’s considered ‘doing quite well’?” Xu Linshen scrutinized him with a knowing look.
It was evident to him that his words caused Chu Yan’s eyebrows to slightly furrow, even though he didn’t overtly express it.
However, Xu Linshen didn’t say more at this moment. He lowered his gaze, his expression appearing somewhat tired and a bit irritated. “What exactly do you want to say?”
Xu Linshen watched him steadily for a moment before speaking again. “Zhong Yu, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”
“Explanation?” Chu Yan let out a cold laugh, his tone indifferent. “Explain what, Xu Linshen? Why should I give you an explanation?”
Xu Linshen’s face darkened, a surge of nameless anger rising from within him. He restrained himself for a moment before finally giving in to the urge and speaking sternly, “Zhong Yu!”
Staring at Xu Linshen almost word for word, Chu Yan said, “I’ll do whatever I want to do, be with whomever I want to be with, and dislike whoever I want to dislike. Why should I explain anything to you? Who do you think you are?”
Who was he?
In a fleeting moment, an indescribable sense of irony surged within Xu Linshen. Even his heart throbbed slightly in pain. Right. What had he been hoping for? Zhong Yu had always been like this; no matter how much he did for him, Zhong Yu would never care even a little bit.
Fueled by anger, Xu Linshen’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. He stared at Chu Yan without blinking, his tone turning ice-cold, almost cruel, as he retorted, “Zhong Yu, then who do you think you are?”
Hearing these words, Chu Yan suddenly lifted his head to look at Xu Linshen. His face displayed a humiliated expression, his lips tightly pursed, and his eyes slightly reddened. However, upon seeing Xu Linshen, he abruptly closed his eyes.
Xu Linshen observed him, his face bearing an enigmatic expression. “Furthermore, what makes you think you have the right to say these things to me? Even if you were talking about a ‘friend with benefits’ before, you only have the privilege of answering when I call, do you understand?”
“Now, I’m returning these exact words to you. How does it feel?”
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Xu Linshen began to realize that something wasn’t quite right. He noticed that Chu Yan’s fists were clenched, his entire body trembling. Suppressing a sob, Chu Yan’s lips quivered, his chest heaving as he struggled to control his breath.
Chu Yan seemed to struggle for breath, as if each syllable was an arduous effort. Xu Linshen was frozen for a moment, watching him in shock.
How could things have escalated to this point? Were his words really that hurtful?
After what felt like a long while, Chu Yan finally managed to release the breath he seemed to have been holding. It came out as a stifled, intermittent sob.
The sound was heart-wrenching, a feeling that gripped Xu Linshen’s heart. He looked at Chu Yan for a moment, his gaze filled with complexity. Then, finally, he spoke, his voice laden with uncertainty, “Zhong Yu…”
He wasn’t sure what to say, or how to address the emotions that seemed to have been unleashed within both of them. The atmosphere was heavy with unspoken words and unresolved feelings.
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